Former USDA FSIS leader joins JBS

Alfred Almanza will lead global food safety efforts at JBS.

Aug 03, 2017

Alfred “Al” Almanza has been appointed the Global Head of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at JBS. He will report to JBS Global President of Operations, Gilberto Tomazoni and lead the company's global food safety efforts.

Prior to joining JBS, Almanza spent nearly 40 years with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. He began his career with USDA as a food safety inspector in a small plant in Dalhart, Texas, eventually rising from this entry-level position to serve as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety under Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack, from September 2014 to December 2016. For the past 10 years, he has served as the Administrator of FSIS, leading USDA’s science-based food safety modernization efforts, regulatory strategies and public health efforts to prevent foodborne illness.

“We are delighted to bring Al’s expertise and passion for food safety, quality and public health to the JBS team,” Tomazoni said. “During his long and storied career at FSIS, Al earned the respect and admiration of his peers for his team-based management approach and his willingness to partner with both industry and public health organizations to ensure the provision of safe, quality food to consumers. JBS is privileged to have someone of Al’s caliber join our company.”

“I am excited to start this new chapter of my career as a part of the JBS Global Team,” Almanza said. "It was an honor to serve the public as a member of the USDA team and help uphold its mission to protect public health for nearly four decades. I now join a team that shares my commitment to food safety and feeding the world in a safe, sustainable way. I look forward to helping JBS maintain the highest food safety levels in the industry, and putting in place best-in-class benchmarks and safeguards to ensure that our products continue to exceed all industry standards.”